A Common Bond
by Athena2008
Summary: The first time Dr. Langford and Samantha Carter meet, they share a frustration that allows them to bond.


Disclaimer: I don't own anything, Stargate related, or otherwise

A/N: This story was born from watching "The Torment of Tantalus". I was wondering how and when Carter and Catherine had met (because they seemed very fond of each other when they saw each other in that episode). So this is that story. There are also a couple of bits and pieces that are my way of trying to clear up some of the things that I thought were left unexplained in the movie, like how they knew that the Stargate would form a wormhole (or rather, dematerialize matter). The Stargate is referred to as "The Doorway to Heaven" in this story, because at this point, Daniel hasn't fixed the translation of the coverstone.

* * *

Dr. Catherine Langford was frustrated, to say the least. She had spent the entire morning at the Pentagon, being stonewalled by various generals who were all eager to see that the Doorway project became a completely military operation.

She had just been suggesting bringing in a civilian archaeologist, with a specialty in Egyptology, to assist in the translation of the cover stone that her father had found in Giza in 1927. They had countered with the suggestion that she relinquish command of the project voluntarily.

Catherine had come to the decision years ago that she would never find a military person whom she actually liked, though she had at least found them tolerable until she had met with the generals.

She knew that they respected that the Doorway was her life's work. But she also suspected that there was some hidden agenda that the government had, if and when the Doorway was ever activated. Catherine Langford was certainly no fool. Especially when it came to matters of the Stargate. Her father had taught her, from an early age, how to deal with people who showed any interest whatsoever in the Doorway, and although the US Air Force had kept the device since the original tests in 1945, Catherine had always been able to assert control over anything related to the device.

She did not know if it was due to the fact that she was getting older or because the government was becoming more persistent in their efforts to take complete control of the device, but she felt the Doorway rapidly slipping out of her hands.

She had at least been able to convince the generals that she should be allowed to meet with the personnel at the Pentagon who were studying the gate. She had yet to meet any of them; it was yet another way the Air Force had been distancing her from the Stargate project.

She reached the lab, swiped the entrance card that General Riley had given to her, and thanked her escort. As she stepped in, Catherine took a quick look around the room. No one was in the room. She bent down to look at a computer screen, which showed a simulation of the gate.

"Can I help you?" a voice asked from directly behind her. Catherine quickly straightened and turned around to find herself face-to-face with a tall, blonde woman in an Air Force uniform.

Catherine recovered quickly from her alarm and extended a hand. "I'm Dr. Catherine Langford. I let myself in. I hope you don't mind."

"Oh my gosh," exclaimed the woman. "Dr. Langford, it's an honor to meet you," she said, taking Catherine's hand in hers and shaking it. "I'm Captain Samantha Carter."

"Sam Carter? You're the one who's leading the team that's studying the gate technology at the Pentagon?"

"Yes, ma'am," Carter replied. She indicated the computer that Catherine had just been looking at. "I've been running some computer models. We've been looking at the material that the gate's made of. It's like nothing found here on Earth," she said, obviously in awe of the device. She sighed. "It would be amazing to work with the actual Doorway," she said wistfully.

"You mean you haven't been to Cheyenne Mountain to see it?" Catherine asked.

Carter shook her head. "We're mostly working with these models." Carter smiled then, as if to show Catherine that she was not complaining. "Still," she added. "It's an amazing piece of technology."

"Have you been on this assignment long?" Catherine asked.

Carter shook her head. "A little over a year."

"From what I hear, you've made some wonderful progress," Catherine said, admiringly.

Carter shrugged. "We know that the gate is capable of forming a wormhole between two points in space. That wormhole will dematerialize any matter that passes through the event horizon and then rematerialize it on the other side. What we can't figure out is why the wormhole won't form with any of the combinations that we've tried."

"You're sure that the device forms a wormhole?" Catherine asked.

"Pretty sure. All of the data that has been sent regarding the device would suggest it," Carter answered.

"Something wrong with the power then?" Catherine asked.

"The power's reaching the gate and being stored in the capacitors. I think there's something wrong with the sequence being used to dial the gate," Carter said, rather definitively.

"Then why are they refusing to call in an expert to translate the cover stone?" Catherine asked, more to herself than to Carter.

"They're not buying it. They still think that there's something that my team can do to fix the problem," Carter answered.

"Well, I'll be no help there. They're hardly listening to me anymore," Catherine said angrily, although she managed to retain her composure.

"I know the feeling," Carter said as she took a seat on one of the lab stools.

"So it isn't just that I'm a civilian?" Catherine said as she observed Carter.

Carter shook her head. "I don't know," she started. "I love my job, but I always feel like I have to prove myself to all of these men."

"You don't have to prove yourself to anyone, you know?" Catherine said wisely.

Sam nodded. "I know. But it's hard to remember that sometimes," she said with a sigh.

"I, on the other hand, have a lot of work to do, if I want these military types to agree to let me call in an expert on Ancient Egypt," Catherine said.

"I hope you get the chance soon," Sam said. "I don't know what more my team can do to get the Doorway to work."

"Well, Captain Doctor," Catherine said, standing. "I have to say, it's been a pleasure meeting you."

"Please, Doctor Langford. The pleasure's been mine. And please, call me Sam," Carter said with a smile.

"I think I'd prefer to call you Samantha," Dr. Langford replied. "It's far more feminine," she added. "And please, call me Catherine."

Carter smiled. Normally, she vehemently objected to being called Samantha, but when she thought about it, she realized that calling herself "Sam" was just another way for her to "fit in with the guys".

Catherine began to make her way to the door of the lab. "I hope to see you again soon, Samantha. Perhaps next time we meet, we'll have what we need to get this Doorway working."

"I hope so," Carter said with a nod. As Dr. Langford walked out of the door, she added quietly, "Thank you, Catherine."


End file.
